The role of the World Quds Day and Imam Khomeini’s Initiative in consolidating unity among the Muslim Ummah and defending the Al-Aqsa Mosque

Prof. Dr. Zahid Ali Zahidi[1]

Abstract:

       Imam Khomeini, a magnificent leader of the oppressed people around the world in twentieth century, has announced the World Quds Day on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan. Following his announcement people all over the world, irrespective of their sects and religions, cast and creeds, welcomed the instance and came out of their houses and mosques after Friday prayer and gathered in the streets to show their solidarity with oppressed people of Palestine and also showed their will to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third most sacred place after Makkah and Madina. The World Quds Day is not only a message to the Zionism and imperialism that Palestinians are not alone and their rights would not be deprived any more but this occasion is also a unique show of Muslim unity and the concept of Ummah. When shia and sunni both chant slogan against illegal occupation of Muslim land it shows that the plot of division among the Ummah has been failed and the conspiracy against the unity of Muslim by internal and external forces foiled. No leader of Muslim world before Imam Khomeini talked so bluntly about Palestinian cause. Hazrat Imam talked about Palestinian before Islamic Revolution and his vision was very clear about this issue. That is why just after the success of Islamic Revolution he announced the World Quds Day as if it was on his utmost priority. Today when we see that World Quds Day is being observed around the world even in the western country, this is in fact the success of vision of Imam Khomeini. When we see that some of the Muslim rulers and their beloveds create hurdles or try to malign the gatherings of oppressed people we can easily understand that this is according to the agenda of Zionism. Sometime marchers of Quds Day pay heavy price of supporting Palestinian cause like one of the incident took place at Quetta, the capital of Balochistan Province of Pakistan in 2010 where 56 people died and more than a hundred injured but in the very next year the same occasion was celebrated with the same zeal and fervor. A bus carrying students and teachers of Karachi University was attacked by planted bomb on the University Road in 2012 in which two students were martyred but the participants did not stop and went to the rally. This is the impact of the vision of Imam Khomeini who motivated the entire Muslim world with his wisdom. The current political situation of Middle East shows that Israel is the weakest country of the region despite the heavy cache of arms and continuous support of the United States.  Imam Khomeini once mentioned that:

“The issue of Quds is not a private or personal issue. It is neither the exclusive problem of one country nor a present-day problem of all Muslims. Rather, it is a phenomenon concerning the monotheists  and faithful people of all ages-past, present and future. “

[1]- University of Karachi Karachi, Pakistan

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